Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Biggest Loss for the Canadian Church?

Welcome to the University of Ottawa, Canada's first bilingual university.

It was Catholic, until 1965, when it was sold.

Founded in 1848 by Bishop Joseph Guigues, it was incorporated by an Act of Parliament the following year.

The University of Ottawa is the oldest and largest bilingual post-secondary institution in Canada. In 1889 it was declared a pontifical university by Pope Leo XIII.

The school was placed under the direction of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who later sold the university and transferred administrative control to a board of governors in 1965.

The university chapel, consecrated December 8, 1931, is today a "meeting" room for students. The pews were given to a local Anglican parish, St. Margaret's.

These photos were taken of Tabaret Hall, named after the principal builder of the university, Fr. Joseph-Henri Tabaret, O.M.I. The classical Greek monolithic columns and ornamentation speak of the noble aims of higher education.

3 comments:

I think the Archbishop of that time, Marie-Joseph Lemieux, played a part. He was the chancellor of the uni. Bishop Sheen often lamented what eros has done to agape. In the same light, what has stupidity and greed done to the Gospel charge to baptize and evangelize?